Power rangers SPD
by alexrusso89
Summary: Inspired by Dudelove85's heroes and villains Set after the series. The B squad is two rangers down so Sky recruits two new rangers JJ oliver son of the legendary green ranger and Lina Song from TimeForce academy. But what happens former villains return ?
1. Legendary beginings

\- SPD-

Dr Kat Manx walked into the tiny, cluttered room also known as the office of the SPD briefing room . Her lips were drawn into a tight, determined line as she threw a manila folder on top of the mountain of papers and photographs burying what might have been, at one point, a very nice office desk. Commander Sky Tate , had his hands folded behind his head, and was currently using the desk himself-as a footrest.

"No."

Green eyes opened at the uttered syllable and glinted over the toes of polished black shoes. "'Morning, Plane leaves at ten"

"Sir, I said no. I'm not going. This is ridiculous, even by your standards."

"What ?"

"Why him and...her? ."

"Did you read the file before throwing it at me?"

"I wouldn't have thrown it at you if I hadn't read it."

"Good then you know about the Power Rangers and the attacks on Angel Grove and the legacy he is coming from and as for her. Second chance. I suggest you deal with it ".

"Sir bringing her back from Special ops is a bad idea ,you're more insane than I already thought!"

"Thanks," Sky corrected with a lazy smirk. "Z put in a request to have her transferred not sure how the rest of the team will take it, so i suggest you get your things ready were off to Angel Grove "

Kat Manx sighed, tapped her fingers against her folded arms. "You really think that's all it is?"

"What else could it possibly be? B Sqaud is getting two new members," he ignored her snort, "and also after the attack by Grumm and everything Birdie did ."

"So theres more to this story then ."

"So you admit, there's something there that makes you curious?"

Kat threw her hands up—in exasperation, in surrender. "Fine! I'm going home to pack."

And she absolutely did not smile as he called after her, "You have two hours!."


	2. Blue and Green join the team

\- October 31st 2026-

Newtech City. a bustling city on the east coast of America, purpose built at the start of the twenty first century to ease the growing fear of Emperor Grumm's reign. Newtech City was host to the Intergalactic Immigration Agency, or The Shadow Proclamation, who processed any immigrants and refugees from the galaxy who wanted to make Earth and other planets their new home. The first fifteen years of the century were a turbulent time, filled with anti-alien and anti-immigrant sentiment that threatened to tear the country apart. Tensions reached their height during 2014, the year of the Armada's invasion. Anger towards the invaders was directed towards those aliens who couldn't fight back leading to some of the worst levels of hate crime ever reported. Right at the heart of this maelstrom of anger was Newtech City

Just when it looked like a bill would be passed banning all aliens, a group of former Power Rangers banded together to create an intergalactic police force to help control the situation. Space Patrol Delta, known locally as SPD, was born. With the Armada defeated SPD was at the forefront of human/alien relations, restoring order to the city and to the country as a whole. Branches of SPD began to open up across the globe and in other parts of the galaxy. In just ten years SPD had become one of the most powerful agencies in the Milky way.

It was probably a good thing because 2025 saw another invasion, this time by Emperor Grumm and the Troobian Empire. Initially held at bay by SPD's A-Squad, things took a surprising turn when the elite Ranger squadron of the force disappeared, leaving the unknown and untested B-Squad to pick up the pieces. The motley crew consisting of three raw cadets and two rookies defeated Grumm's forces, with a little help from their commanding officer and a visitor from the future.

Six months had passed since Grumm's invasion and life was relatively peaceful in Newtech City. 2026 so far had been the lowest recorded rate of alien race crime since ever. With B-Squad now able to focus their attentions on non-alien related offenses, crime in the city was also dropping. On the surface things appeared to be rosy for the elite police force in the galaxy. Leader of the Milky Way branches of SPD Commander Sky Tate had gathered some SPD officers and some other guests to what is known as the Briefing room.

The problem was there was only two had arrived so far . Since the fall of Grumm, Bridge and Z had gone through several galaxies. Never remained long in said galaxies though for a number of different reasons. A few of them were dismissed by Z for failing to meet expectations and a couple due to disputes. There was even a rather bizarre gardening accident, the details of which were kept confidential for the benefit of everyone.

It was late in the afternoon when Bridge and Z walked along a hallway. They had been operating as Power rangers for two years. The Yellow ranger stretched her back, "Man I am going to sleep well tonight". Her squad leader said nothing in response and merely raised an eyebrow, "Come on don't look at me like that, I said I was sorry", Z pleaded.

"Three hours", Bridge grunted, "that's how long you kept me awake for with your babbling in the middle of the night". Despite the red ranger, Bridge hadn't up the private quarters that came with his rank. Publicly he said that he wanted to keep an eye on the eccentric Yellow ranger who was well known for veering off on a tangent at a moment's notice. Bridge actually enjoyed Z's company, "You must be the only person who dreams about toast", Z said as the pair entered the elevator, "Cant you dream about women like a normal person".

"Maybe, never really tried to focus on one particular thing whilst I'm sleeping before", Bridge began to ramble, "jCould be an interesting experiment."

"mean if I think about toast before I fall asleep then will I dream about it but then again if I try to avoid thinking about it then it means I'm thinking about it which will-".

"Z", Bridge had his hand over her mouth, "just, be quiet". The yellow ranger nodded and didn't look remotely offended, she was used to it from Bridge. The pair rode the elevator up to the command level silently but the moment the doors opened, they were greeted by Syd, "Syd, fancy meeting you here".

Syd had a solemn look on their face and in his hand was a piece of paper, I was summoned here by a Commander Tate also this is for you Bridge ", Syd said and handed the piece of paper over.

"Cool actual paper", Z commented, peering over Bridge's shoulder. As Bridge read the note his face began to darken until by the end he was sporting an impressive scowl that would make Batman jealous, "Wow she really didn't like you", Z chuckled, slapping Bridge on the back, "she's also crammed an impressive number of swear words into one sentence".

"This isn't funny Z ", Bridge snapped and crumbled the note in his hand, "Sky's already been on my back about trying to get us to get new B Squad officers". He shook his head a couple of times, "I'm not that hard to get along with am I?" he asked Z, who were sharing a nervous look with Syd, "I know I can be a hard ass but that's only because I want you to be the best".

Z and Syd quickly looked towards each other, it was common knowledge that the red ranger had a soft spot. "Well you see-".

Before Syd could finish her sentence, the familiar face of SPD's head scientist Kat Manx popped out of the command room door, "Oh your here, Commander Tate wants a word", she called out before stepping back into the room.

A sudden feeling of dread washed over The trio, especially Bridge" He tucked the scribbled note from the now former SPD lover into his pocket and straightened out his uniform, "Better get this over with", he mumbled to Z. He led the way down the corridor and into the command room where SPD's commanding officer Sky Tate was waiting for them. As the four saluted the commander, they couldn't help but notice the stern look plastered all over his features. Commander Tate is one of the most fiercest rangers ever, "Commander", Bridge began nervously, "I assume you've heard about Rose".

"Yes I have", Sky replied with a slow, deliberate tone, "I had high hopes that Cadet Tyler ". He paused and glared accusingly at Bridge, "Seems I was wrong".

"You've seen the note?" Bridge gulped.

Sky nodded, "It was an impressive use of language, especially her inventive combination of curse words". From her position in the corner, Kat let out a little snigger before regaining her stoic image, "Something to add Miss Manx?"

"Nothing at all Sir", Kat replied, keeping her attention firmly fixed on a spot on the wall behind the rest of the group.

"Good because this isn't a laughing matter", Sky barked, "our failure you two jackasses hasn't gone unnoticed. We've gone through eleven attempts in just over six months. Coupled with your refusal to accept", he turned his glare on Z and Syd, "Its causing SPD Command a headache".

"Indeed it is Command Tate", a voice called out. Tate stepped aside to reveal a fair skinned man in his late forties. He was dressed in the standard uniform of an SPD Supreme Commander but with the added addition of a red top underneath his dress jacket. The most striking feature of this Supreme Commander was his brown and blonde striped hair, although there was more than a few grey haired interloping, "Supreme Command doesn't like to interfere in the internal affairs of our bases but Newtech is a flagship facility. Having its primary defence a team down is more than a little embarrassing".

All four gaped at the man for a few moments, a little star struck to be meeting someone who they had learned about in history and tales. Once they had regained their composure, they saluted in unison, "Supreme Commander Andros", Bridge stammered, "this is truly an honour".

Andros nodded slowly and gestured for them to stand at ease, "I've heard a lot of good things about you, Dr Oliver speaks highly of you ", Bridge puffed out his chest with pride, "But I'm afraid this situation doesn't reflect well on you". The red ranger opened his mouth to defend himself but Andros held up his hand to silence the man, "I have taken the decision to assign two members to your team effective immediately. This order is not negotiable, nor is it up for further discussion after this conversation". Z looked bemused by this statement and even Commander Tate stood up a little straighter, as a man with short spiky hair walked in " This is JJ Oliver and the final person comes with my full backing and I trust you will remember that". Andros straightened out his jacket and turned to Tate, "Bear in mind that you have been all the information I feel is pertinent at this point in time".

Now Tate was really confused but he was used to getting cryptic orders from SPD Supreme Command all the time. He kept his face as neutral as he could and nodded stiffly, "Understood Supreme Commander".

"Good, I expect their progress report on my desk this time next week". Without further comment Andros terminated the video link, leaving a blank screen behind.

For a few moments everyone in the command room was too shocked to speak. It wasn't a surprise though when Syd was the first one to pass comment, "Well that could've been worse", he said with his usual broad grin.

"How?" Bridge began, "that was the verbal equivalent of a slap in the face". The red ranger was more than a little upset that his first conversation with the legendary Andros of KO-35 hadn't gone that well. He had spent many hours studying the famous red rangers from the past. Others had posters of famous sport stars or musicians on their walls but Bridge's heroes were the previous rangers. To be verbally dressed down by one of his idols was a little humiliating for the young man.

"That was a little mysterious though", JJ commented, "who do you reckon he's assigned to the team?"

"Could be one of his kids", Z added, "Vogue magazine ran a feature on his son and daughter a few years ago. If my math is any good, they should be approaching eighteen by now".

"Not quite", Tate grumbled, "the oldest is seventeen I believe". The Commander was nervous though, Andros's family weren't the only children of past Rangers. Some of them were adults now and if his memory served him correctly, a couple were training in SPD Academies. It would be a typical stunt by Supreme Command to restore confidence in SPD, assign a child of a former ranger to his team.

Bridge took a couple of paces forward, leaning on the situation table for support, "Just what we need, babysitting duty for a new recruits".

"And that's the type of attitude that got that note ", Syd rubbed her temples, the stubborn attitude of Bridge gave her a headache sometimes.

"I can't help it if I want the best for this team", Bridge snapped, "and I would at least like someone I know assigned to the team".

"Your wish is my command", a feminine voice called out from the doorway. The occupants turned around and laid their eyes on a woman dressed in a SPD uniform, only trimmed with black. She had black hair that was pulled back into a loose ponytail and a smug look on her face that suggested superiority over everyone in her presence. Everyone in the room stared silently at the woman although Bridge's face was flipping between disbelief and anger, "A welcome back would be nice", she added, leaning against the doorframe casually in the process, "I would've liked a banner but I didn't want to push my luck".

Tate growled at the woman out the side of his mouth, "Lina Song", he hissed.

Lina Song, disgraced TimeForce Ranger, smirked in response, "You were expecting someone else?"


	3. Frosty arrival

To say the atmosphere in the briefing room was frosty would be an understatement. Standing in front of the rest of her team, Commander Tate and Doctor Manx was a woman that should've still been in containment. The trial of TimeForce Rangers had yet to take place and to the team's knowledge, Lina was still in a high security facility. Yet standing in front of them without a care in the world was one of the traitors and not just any of them, it was their squad leader.

A few more silent and tense moments followed with Lina gradually looking more bored by the second. Eventually the former jailbird couldn't take the quiet no longer, "Whilst I wasn't expecting a triumphant welcome, I wasn't expecting the silent treatment either", she commented, pushing herself off the doorframe.

"What are you doing here Lina", Bridge asked, "shouldn't you be rotting in containment with the other criminals".

Lina clutched her hand against her chest, a look of mock offence flashing across her face, "Ouch Carson, now my feelings are hurt", but it was clear from her tone that she was anything but offended. The apparent new member of the team brushed between Bridge and Z and handed a tablet over to Tate, "My orders, courtesy of Supreme Commander Andros", she added.

Sky scanned his eyes over the tablet before switching his glance to Lina. The dark haired woman smirked at the bemused expression on the Commanders face and beckoned with her eyes for him to read again. Sky growled under his breath and checked the orders again for some kind of loop hole. Finding none he placed the tablet onto his desk, "Welcome to B Squad Officer Song", he said with a flat tone.

"What that's it?" Syd said in shock, "she tried to kill thousands of people yet she's a power ranger again without any kind of consequences".

"Trust me Barbie, there are plenty of consequences", Lina snorted. Syd's mouth flapped open at the derogatory nickname her new team mate had used before curling into her classic im about to break you face, "For example have you seen the accommodation they've put me up in? There's barely enough room to swing a cat, no offence Doctor", she directed that final comment towards Kat. SPD's chief scientist smiled tightly in response but chose to remain silent, not fully trusting herself to remain civil towards the former member of TimeForce.

"Swing a cat", Z chuckled, completing ignoring the overriding atmosphere in the room, "I see what you did there". Everyone else apart from Lin turned and glared at the yellow ranger, "What, I found it funny", she shrugged.

Rolling her eyes at her new team mate, Lina replied, "Looks like I've found myself a fan, maybe I should become a full time comedian".

"Yeah don't give up your day job", JJ said towards the newcomer. He hadn't forgotten what he had read about the rogue TimeForce Rangers from the posts by Hexagon.

Lina turned slowly towards JJ and gave him a quick, appraising glance. JJ couldn't read the look in the dark haired woman's eyes, it was a mixture between annoyance and admiration. JJ wanted to return the look but something about the way Lina was staring gave him the chills. There was something almost hypnotic about the dark haired woman's eyes that was forcing JJ to maintain contact and it wasn't until a playful smirk flashed across Lina's face that JJ finally regained his senses, "Take a picture, Dragon it'll last longer".

"Ill pass", JJ quickly retort.

"You're Tommy Oliver's son right?" Lina shrugged, "not saying anything that isn't true". Before JJ could fire off another comment, Lina turned sharply on her heel to indicate that she was finished with that particular conversation. Her attention instead returned to Tate and Kat, "So what is the team currently working on at the moment?" she asked in a professional tone that was completely contrary to anything anyone had heard come out of her mouth so far today.

The Commander and Manx shared an uneasy look with each other. The new addition had been thrust on them without any warning and as such, they were complete unprepared for a briefing. "You came on a good day its team bonding", Tate began, "the only long term assignment you and the others have is defend the galaxy"

"Not a problem with me around", Lina sniffed arrogantly, "might need a few days to get myself back up to speed but nothing more".

"Yeah I'll be the judge of that", Bridge snapped.

Lina glanced over her shoulder and shot a dismissive look towards Bridge, "Wow, someone's wearing their big boy pants today". The red ranger seethed but was prevented from snapping back by a gentle touch on the arm from Syd. Bridge's shoulders relaxed but his temper was still bubbling under the surface, "Now isn't that cute", Lina continued, her eyes flicking between the red and pink ranger's, "little Carson got himself a girlfriend".

That final comment broke all control that Bridge had over his temper. Rage flashed across his eyes as memories of TimeForce's attack boiled to the surface, "I've had just about enough of your attitude", the red ranger said and took a couple of aggressive steps towards Lina.

"Carson !" Tate roared, "that enough from the pair of you". Bridge took a couple of deep breathes to regain control over his emotions. That was especially difficult as Lina continued to look unrepentant, in fact she almost looked amused by the confrontation. "This is a far from ideal situation but orders are orders", the Commander continued. "Officer Song, you will join B Squad for a routine training session. Once we've assessed your current skill level, we will discuss further assignments".

"Fine with me", Lina shrugged, "trust me, I haven't lost that much of a step in the last few months".

"Training will commence at 0700", Kat added, "Boom and I will monitor your progress remotely".

Lina looked slightly amused at the time Kat gave, "0700, really?"

"What's the matter, too early for you?" Bridge teased.

"Not in the slightest", Lina replied lightly before returning to Kat, "I think you've got something that belongs to me", she held out her hand expectantly. Doctor Manx sighed and reluctantly reached into the pocket of her lab coat. She stepped forward and handed JJ and Lina SPD morphers, although she was hesitant to release it from her grasp. A subtle nod from Tate later and the feline scientist let go, "Didn't know you made me Blue ranger", Lina added, looking at the device in her hand, "hang on, why is it chipped?" she pointed at the top of the morpher, which was slightly dented.

Syd sheepishly raised her hand, "Yeah that's my bad, I dropped it once in the bathroom and it hit the toilet". Lina looked down at the morpher in disgust, holding it between her fingers, "It didn't go in the water", the pink ranger added, like it made a difference to her admission.

"There is one thing I should point out", Sky began in an attempt to dig Syd out of the hole she had dug herself, "the morphing capability is locked until you've been signed off probation by the squad leader". An angry look flashed across Lina's face but the Commander calmly handed her orders back to her, "I take it you didn't read that part of the Supreme Commander's request". The other rangers weren't sure but they could almost detect a hint of smugness from Sky.

The newest recruit glanced once again at the datapad, trying to ignore the triumphant look that was now plastered across Bridge's face, "That won't be a problem", Lina thrust the pad back towards Tate, "Sir", she added, almost as an afterthought. "If there's nothing else to discuss, I would like to get settled into my accommodation", she drawled the last word in disgust. She slowly backed away, giving Tate a slightly mocking salute on the way out.

"Officer Song", Tate barked just as she was about to leave the room, "You might be on this team at the request of the Supreme Commander but that doesn't excuse you from following protocol". Lina grumbled under her breath before giving Sky the proper SPD salute, "As this is your first day back I will let this slide but any future indiscretions will be marked in your probationary report". The newest member stared neutrally at Sky before turning sharply and exiting the room.

Almost the second Lina was out of earshot, noise assaulted the ears of Commander Tate. The sensitive hearing of the canine Commander was pummelled with angry accusations from the red ranger. After a few seconds, Sky couldn't take the noise any longer, "Quiet!" he roared, instantly silencing the room. "I know you're not happy about this and off the record, neither am I". He sighed deeply before continuing, "Unfortunately my hands are tied so we'd better hope that Officer Song slips up and gives us a reason to ship her back to containment".

" Like fuck they are " Bridge roared, Sky stared " This is my team as much as legendary Andros is he is nothing compared to Doctor Oliver!" Bridge continued.

There was a general murmuring of agreement from B Squad especially JJ but the underlying tone was still of annoyance, "Now I suggest you go and get some rest, it's been a long day of patrolling for all of you", Sky added with a fatherly tone. The rangers saluted Sky with JJ's salute being a middle finger to Sky before leaving the room. It didn't take much to recognise that the team were still unhappy with the orders, they were barely a few metres away before they began complaining loudly to each other.

Sky took a seat behind his desk and wearily rubbed his eyes, "Supreme Command has come up with some ridiculous ideas before but this one takes the cake". He handed the tablet over to Kat who took it reluctantly, "See what you think", he said to the scientist.

"I thought these were for your eyes only", Kat replied with an amused smirk.

"Do as I say, not as I do Kat", Sky said with a knowing smile. Kat tapped the tablet and quickly scanned the orders. Unlike the Commander she didn't have a great poker face and with each sentence, she grew more and more surprised, "See why we need to have Officer Song on the team", he added.

"I do", Kat began slowly, "but keeping the team in the dark like this isn't the way to go". Kat handed the tablet back to Sky, "It doesn't take a psychiatrist to see that no power ranger will trust Lina and I'm not sure they ever will".

With a resigned sigh, Sky said, "They have to, if what Supreme Commander Andros has put in his report is true then it could bring the universe crashing down around our ears". He tapped a couple of buttons on his desk and brought up Lina's personnel file on a nearby screen, "Unfortunately for us, Lina Song might be the only person who can help us". Kat looked fearfully at the Commander, she hoped that the future of SPD didn't reside solely on the shoulders of a proven traitor.


	4. Framed

The following morning at precisely 0704 hours, four of the five members of B Squad were dressed in their training gear and had assembled in the outdoor training facility. Z, Syd and JJ were busy going through a stretching routine, although the green ranger's consisted of a handstand against a nearby tree. Bridge, Commander Tate and Kat on the other hand looked annoyed. The head of SPD's Earth branch checked his watch every few seconds, lowering his arm several times with an increasingly loud grumble. Bridge stood with his arms folded across his chest with a look of mild satisfaction, "Not a great first day back", he commented, "four minutes late".

"Thank you Bridge we can tell the time", Kat sighed, "according to the security systems Lina clocked out the building an hour ago", the feline added after consulting her datapad.

"I'm beginning to regret these orders already", Sky grumbled.

"Just beginning Sir", Kat snorted, "I knew this was a bad idea the moment she stepped through the door".

"Someone talking about me?" the trio jumped at the sound of Lina's voice, "I thought my ears were burning". The newest addition to the team untied her hair briefly to free up some strands that were sticking to her forehead before securing it back with a hair tie. The command team noted the thin sheen of sweat across her forehead.

Commander Tate let out low growl, "You're late", he stated.

"Sorry my ten mile run time must've slipped in the last few months", Lina replied with a raised eyebrow, "I used to be able to do that in under an hour, really must work on that".

Sky, Bridge and Kat glanced at each other quickly, "You've been out running since 0600?" Kat asked, drawing a snort of derision from the red ranger.

Lina shrugged, "I used to get my team out running laps even earlier than that". The new blue ranger stood on one leg and stretched out her quad muscle, "We can began whatever you've got planned now", she added blankly.

The other three members of B Squad couldn't help but overhear exchange between Lina and the command team. Sometime they forgot that Lina was a former ranger and not just a criminal that had been plucked out of containment. The reality of having someone on their team probably more experienced than Bridge was still sinking in, however, they knew there would be a huge blow out between Lina and the red ranger sooner rather than later. "Now that you've graced us with your presence", Sky began with an acidic tone, "we will be going through the basic firearms exercise on the shooting range".

"Not that", Bridge groaned, still standing on his head, "I never do very well at that one".

Lina eyes flittered over to her Squad leader and then back to Sky, "Is he always like this?" The rest of B Squad nodded vigorously, drawing a groan from the blue ranger, "Don't worry Space Ace, there's not many people who can match my record score".

"Don't get too cocky", Tate interjected himself into the exchange, "you'll find the program has changed since the last time you were here".

There was a brief staring match between Lina and Commander Tate before the new B Squad member smirked and added, "How hard can it be?" She held out her right hand in anticipation of receiving a blaster, "I believe I'll need some kind of weapon to take this test", she added when no weapon was forthcoming.

Reluctantly Kat pulled out a blaster that she had stored in a holster, "I trust you remember how this works", the scientist stated and handed over the plasma cartridge that was separate to the actual weapon. Lina snatched the blaster and clip out of Kat's hand and in less than a couple of seconds had inserted the clip, cocked it and removed the safety, "I'll take that as a yes", Doctor Manx said dryly.

"We're using Lightspeed's range today", Tate began, "the goal is to secure the safe release of all the hostages whilst disabling as many captors as possible". The Command then turned to the others, "Officer Carson and Doctor Manx will be in the control room, the rest of you can watch from observation and wait your turn". Lina didn't need a second invitation and confidently strode towards the firing range but not before giving Z and Syd a confident smile. The two girls looked back in annoyance and walked away with Bridge towards the observation room.

Upon entering the firing range, Lina found the set up very similar to what she remembered. The room was mocked up like a typical Mariner Bay street with several parked cars and other objects to provide cover. The buildings either side were close together to give the set up a very claustrophobic feel. Lina tightened her grip on her weapon, knowing Sky it was highly unlikely that she would get a warning before the simulation began.

Suddenly she heard some rustling from the doorway of the nearest building. Her combat training instantly kicked in and her weapon was trained on the door, "SPD hands up", she cried. A red humanoid shape stepped into the street with a smaller green shape pulled close to its body, "Hostage simulation number four", Lina smirked and dived to her right. Seconds later a blast of laser fire impacted the spot where she had just been.

Taking shelter behind a dumpster, Lina saw that the attack had come from the roof of the building nearest to her. She could only see the faint outline of her assailant but that was enough. Squeezing the trigger she took out the sniper with a direct hit to the head. Another flash of red from a window opposite caught her attention and Lina unleashed another two shots, taking out those potential attackers.

The next thirty seconds were a blur as Lina exchanged gunfire with a number of attackers. One by one the simulated assailants fell to direct shots to the chest until there was just the original gunman and his hostage, "Last chance", the blue ranger called out almost as an afterthought. She barely finished her sentence before firing a round directly into the red guy's head. Instantly the virtual gunman dropped the hostage before the simulated humans faded away. Lina ejected her spent magazine and flicked the safety back on with a satisfied smile.

She was in the process of reviewing her hits using the holographic playback when Bridge, Kat and Commander Tate entered, "Not bad, little off of center but it won't take long to get my eye back in", she commented. In response there was nothing but silence which was a concern to the new blue ranger, "Well, tell me how much I passed by?"

"I would", Bridge began with a triumphant smile, "but you failed the exercise".

Lina stood dead silent for a couple of moments in an attempt to process the words that came out the red ranger's mouth. It took her a little bit of time but eventually she was able to mutter, "I'm sorry, What?"

"SPD rules of engagement", Bridge quoted from the rule book, "in the event of a hostage situation, you must attempt to negotiate the safety of the hostages before engaging".

The blue ranger wanted to disagree but technically Bridge was correct. Instead she huffed and shot back, "That wasn't the way we did things in TimeForce and you know that Commander".

"Times have changed Officer Song", Tate began, "things are a lot less volatile that when you were in TimeForce. I expect everyone to follow the standard terms of engagement".

Anger slowly began to build inside Lina and she clenched her fists tightly, "You set me up", she hissed, "you knew I would fall back on my TimeForce training and would open fire, you deliberately engineered my failure". She glowered at Bridge and then the Commander, "No wonder it took you so long to defeat Grumm".

"No that was because we had a group of traitor in our ranks", Bridge shot back. Fury flashed across Lina's eyes and she took a couple of menacing steps towards Bridge. For a brief second it looked like she was going to slug the red ranger but just inches away from him, Lina thought better of it, "Go on swing", Bridge goaded.

"You'd like that wouldn't you", Lina spat, "but you're not getting rid me that easily. She forcefully rammed the blaster and spent cartridge into Bridge's chest. Lina stood back and noticed that Tate and Kat hadn't said a single word in her defence, "Must be nice, being the son of the legendary Officer Tate, clearly it opens doors that anyone can walk through", she hissed venomously.

"I don't think you should be talking about privilege to me girl", Sky retorted, "wasn't the nickname they gave you at the TimeForce Wolf girl?" Lina didn't give him a chance to answer as she turned on her heel and stomped away, "We're not through with the testing yet", he called out.

"Fuck you Tate", Lina bellowed, "write me up for this all you want", she added, anticipating his next comment, "I'm sure the Supreme Commander will love to hear how his senior officers administered an examination without a full briefing". That got the attention of everyone in the room and they allowed Lina to leave, not that they would've had much chance of stopping her. She slammed her hands into the door before shutting it with a massive bang.

The sound of the banging door reverberated around the room and it was still going on when Kat said, "That went well", she snorted, "I hope you two are happy with yourselves".

"If it takes her down a couple of pegs then what harm can it do?" Bridge replied.

Kat sighed, "You do know that the observation rooms are sound proof", Bridge frowned in confusion, "the other members of your squad have no idea what happened in here and by letting Lina walk out, you've given her full reign to be painted as a martyr fighting back against her biased superiors". Sky and Bridge flashed a quick look at each other as the weight of Kat's words sunk in, "Men, you never look more than a few feet in front of your noses". It was Kat's turn to slink away, leaving Sky and Bridge alone to ponder if they had just made a huge error of judgement.

Outside the range, Lina was still fuming. She knew that her appointment to B Squad wouldn't be popular, but that was a low blow. What made the matter all the more frustrating was that Sky had all the information about her release to hand and still allowed Sky to run his little power game.

She heard the sound of someone calling her name. Turning sharply she was surprised to see JJ, Z and Syd standing behind her with the yellow ranger in front, "Come to gloat too", she snorted.

"No we've come to find out what happened", Z stated, "Commander and Bridge just blew us off without an explanation".

Lona snorted, they had simply come to get the gossip rather than check that she was alright. That really was the final straw, "Just piss off ", she pointed at the trio, "go crawl back to your perfect leader and just leave me alone".

Z gaped at the woman before her face hardened, "Fine, we just wanted to check on you but if that's the thanks we get", she finished with a shrug.

"Consider the olive branch withdrawn", Syd added with venom and. Hard slap, before leading the trio away.

Lina cursed herself for allow her temper to dominate her emotions. She had probably just blown any chance she had of getting accepted by B Squad. Lina didn't necessarily care if they liked her but she at least wanted them to respect her. A couple of angry tears fell but she wasn't really sure who she was angry with, herself or the rest of SPD.


	5. Probation

Lina stood on the a field in her blue gi. She recognized the spot by the charred remains. It was the spot of their last battle of her TimeForce rangers in silver hills. "How'd I get here," she said to hereelf.

" I brought you, here," a familiar voice said making her turn around

"Who or what are you?" Lina said shocked to see a floating tiki head. "What's going on why have you brought me here," Lina asked.

"I am Gosei," Gosei said.

"Ok? Why am i here?" Lina asked.

"Bad things are coming Lina. storms of evil like you've never seen things that you've never seen before and you must be ready. Because youve chosen redemption you will face a hard path and a path that will question the future you and the rangers," Gosei said.

"Effect the future? What do you mean? What's going to happen?," Lina asked. Her mind began to rush through all that had transpired just months earlier and wondered would she be ready to face those types of obstacles again.

"You will know when the time comes," Gosei said.

Lina shot up from her pillow her face soaked with sweat. "The fuck ," she said to herself. She then looked over at the alarm clock by her bed and saw the time "Six thirty ," Lina said getting up.

"Good morning," Z said as Lina entered followed in by Syd. Lina was dressed in a black tank top with blue sequinned stars on it and a pair of blue skinny jeans and black sneakers.

Z was dressed in who was dressed in a light yellow Hollister t-shirt with orange letters down the right side and khaki shorts and sandals.

"Morning ," JJ said as he came into the kitchen in his skinny jeans and green lantern shirt and his black shades on his shirt. His outfit was rounded out by his DC shoes.

"Good morning people," Bridge said coming in . He was dressed in a red short sleeved Black Label shirt with military emblems and dark blue jeans. and black boots.

"Ready for today?," Bridge asked as the other rangers took a bit of their food.

"Ready ? why?" Lina said her mouth of waffle .

"Come lets go," Bridge said.

"Ugh waffles," Syd said getting a stern look from Bridge. "Ok I'm going," she said

-Lothor's Ship-

The dark abandoned Armada Ship suited the nature of its owner. The dank smell of oil and rust. Yes the dark macabre nature of this place with its rusted out machines would be the nightmare of most children. But to the twisted mind of Lothor it was a delightful wonderland.

"Curse those rangers," Lothor said. "Can you believe them. Those rangers took my family from me," he said talking to no one in particular. "They must be stopped but how," he said seeing his wife walk on. "Of course one of my minions but which one. Yes he's perfect I summon you Zurgane!" and with that he motioned his hand out and brought fourth a creature wearing black armor holding a large sword.

" How may I serve you lord," Zurgane said kneeling.

"Seek out the rangers and bring me their heads," he commanded.

"It shall be done," Zurgane said.

-Lina's room-

As Bridge and Z walked down a hallway Z silently cursed Bridge. "Why the hell are we here Bridge," she said in annoyed mono tone.

"We're here to sort this out," Bridge said

"Bridge she slapped me," Z said

"I'm so sick of hearing that shit" Bridge said. "You know for someone thats a power ranger you're being real fucking stupid."

"I don't know why we're talking about this" Z scolded

"No! Are you forgetting we are Power Rangers!" Bridge said. "That you had to spy on Lina during a private moment and thats why you got slapped,"

"It was an accident! A fucking accident!," Z said.

"Oh was it an accident you got caught!" Bridge said.

"I hate it when you're right ," Z said just as the door they were standing in front of swung open. Both looked up to see Lina dressed in a blue bikini with tie dyed peace signs on it and a rainbow skirt her hair tied in pig tails. Z got ready. "Look Lina I-," she started being cut off by Lina pulling her into a hug . At first she was taken back by the sudden impact of the other girl hugging her. "Hey what was that for."

"It was my way of saying what you wanted to. That we were both jerks" Lina said.

" Im sorry " Z said.

"What about my probation," Lina asked smiling as they broke contact.

"I will handle that," Bridge said with a smile.

"Hey we still have to meet up with the other rangers," Z said pushing Bridge and Lina down the hall. Syd and JJ stood waiting until they saw the other three rangers coming over to the them. "Hey what took you guys!" Syd said.

Just as Z was about to respond an explosion happened a few feet away from them. When the blast cleared Zurgane was there with a platoon of Kelszacks. " Come out and face me rangers," Zurgane bellowed.

"Oh great sidelined," Lina said slightly annoyed.

"Yep." Syd said with a wink.

"So these are the mighty Power Rangers"

"Well Dont waste time cut to the good part," Z said.

"Lets Ranger up!"

"SPD EMERGANCY!," the four rangers said transforming into there ranger forms.

"Spd blade!" Z said calling her sword. "Galactic slash" she yelled making the sword glow yellow before cutting through them. Z then did a front flip cutting through a few more kelzacks.

Elsewhere JJ and Syd were fighting back to back. Hey give me a boost," Syd asked placing her right foot into JJ's cupped hands

"As you wish," JJ said as he lunched the white ranger into the air allowing her to use he enhanced agility to remain in the air in a high arching flip.

" SPD blaster!," She said blasting into the Kelszacks before landing. "Heh your turn dragon boy,"

"Thought you'd never ask!," JJ said calling the dragon shield and dagger . JJ then proceeded to play the dagger causing green lighting to strike Destroying the Kelzacks.

"Nice " Lina said, being the only unmorphed one there she had to rely on her training to destroy the Kelzacks.

Meanwhile Bridge was barley holding Zurgane at bay . He then fired a blast from his sword knocking Bridge both to the ground. Zurgane then began to close in on Bridge. As he charged his sword Bridge braced for impact. He saw the flash of blinding light but didn't feel the impact. When the light faded he saw the Lina clutching her mid section kneeling on one knee.

" Lina!" Bridge screamed.

"Are you ok," Lina said gasping for air.

"I'm fine what about you," Bridge asked helping her up as he picked up his delta blaster .

Bridge clenched his blasters in both hands charging the blade. " CONTAINMENT MODE!" He said as he blasted Zurgane causing the entire area to be covered in a ruby light. When the light faded Zurgane appeared in a containment card and everyone had gathered around Lina just as she fell into Bridge's arms.

"Lina whoa are you ok," Z asked.

"Yeah just that hit took a lot out of me," Lina said passing out.


	6. Kidnapped

-Lothor's Ship-

"He failed because he were caught off guard by the power rangers!," Lothor said fumeing with rage.

"They we're unexpected," Capri said, "The girl was an excellent fighter she faught like Tennya 7," she said her mind confused.

"Tennya is dead Capri and so should be those bitch rangers!," Lothor said his anger peaking and making the walls shake. But his mind quickly coming to an idea. "This new girl isnt she former TimeForce?"

"Yes former TimeForce Yellow i believe, held her own against the Kelzacks," Broodwing said, "she was most impressive"

Lohor began to contemplate a plot forming in his mind. "Very well, you will bring the girl to me and if she is as good in combat as you say she could be an asset," Lothor said his eyes getting a wicked glow about them.

-SPD Command room-

"Absoluetly not!," Tate yelled he'd been arguing with the team of rangers for sevreal minutes about taking Lina of Probation.

"Sir you're being unreasonable," Syd said, "Lina is a good fighter she proved she'd make a good ranger today!"

"Have you taken the moment to think that its just a little too convenient," Sky said.

"Sir with all do respect this is my team and i should be able to decide whose on it!" Bridge said

"Hate to break it to ya its a no," Tate said

"I agree she's too much of a risk," Kat said.

"Excuse me may I speak," Lina asked.

"Go on," Tate said

"I'm not evil. Well not anymore. I want to get redemption and today I got a taste of it and if take me off probation I won't let you down," Lina said.

" I don't want to doubt your courage," Kat said "but this is a war and I must have my doubts,"

"ENOUGH!" Sky screamed. "I am the commander, Sky continued getting Kat to sign yes.

"I dont Care" Bridge said out raged.

"No" Lina said with a sigh. "Its fine i guess " she said with another sigh

Kat gave a sigh of her own as she pulled out a small device and pointed it as Lina. The blue ranger then saw a million lights flash before her before going limp in the Z's arms.

"Take her to her quarters, then all of you return to yours ok," Sky said.

"Get fucked," JJ said stormming out of the room.

-Later -

in her quarters Syd sat looking out into the night sky. Thoughts running through her mind "Why am I here? Why does this feel right?" Syd asked herself. "Ah well I guess I'll go get something to eat," she thought.

"He's such an asshole!," Z said laying on the bed in her bra and panties. "I mean its not his team right!?,"

-Bridge's room-

Bridge sat in his room thinking over what Sky had said, he was brushing through footage of ranger teams battles .

-The next day-

"So you guys feel like hanging with today?," Syd asked as she and the others except for Lina met up.

"Well have nothing else to do" Z said.

"Well we could remedy that situation," Bridge said, "We are the power rangers after all."

"Shit! I'm so late I hope I catch the guys," Lina thought as she ran towards the common room. " I just hope not sleeping last night was...ughhhhh!," she said in her mind as she was knocked onto her back by a concusive blast. Making the world plunge into darkness.

"Sorry ranger no training for you today," Capri said before telporting them away.


	7. Out with a bang and a whimper

Lina awoke her wrist and ankles bound to a rack unable to move. She instantly realized after glancing around that she knew that she was no where she wished to be. "Oh look the traitor is awake a voice said making her look over and see her former ally Broodwing . Confirming her analysis.

"Now Broodwing that's no way to talk to a guest," Capri said walking out of the shadows

"Yes she may not want to hear our offer, " Lothor t said him too walking out of the dark with a sinister yet sweet smile. "Hello Lina my name is Lothor and you already know Broodwing and Capri"

"I'm quite aware of the Ninja Storm Villain. The Mask is a dead give away," Lina said flunting her Ranger history knowledge.

"My you are a blunt one," Lothor said with sinister sweetness, "Very well I'll get to the point join us be my third general," he said circuling the structure Lina was bound to.

"What!?," Lina said shocked.

"You were TimeForce you fought along side Lord Drakkon " Lothor said continuing to circle Lona. " You're a lot like Me and I power, promise, and skill. Only to be told you're not good enough by Those so called rangers. I can give you, be my ranger. Join us and together we'll destory them."

Lina thought of her situation. Going through all her options she came to the one best suited to save her life. "Alright I'll join you lets end those power pukes," she said.

"Excellent choice but first you have to prove yourself to us," Lothor said

"What do I need to do?" Lina asked.

-SPD-

"It's weird I haven't seen Lina all day," Z said as she sat down to lunch with the others .

"Maybe she's sick or something," Syd said taking a bite of her gyro.

"Or maybe The hate fried her brain" JJ said getting an olive thrown at him by the mute girl.

"Not cool," Syd said, "anyway Bridge said he got a bad vibe from Lina"

"Like what she's evil ?," Z asked hoping Sky and the other wasn't right about their new friend.

"No like she's in danger," A voice said telepathically to the others

"What do you think girls," JJ asked.

"I say we swing by the Command room after and talk it out," Z said, "no offense But Bridge has been wrong about these vibes before."

"Sounds good to me," Syd said.

"Fine by me," JJ said.

-The Command room-

Kat was busy working a console just as the shops transmitter sounded and the image of Lothor appeared on the hidden view screen.

"Hello rangers," Lothor said, " a hole century still haven't changed that signal frequency sloppy sloppy," he said making the rangers seeth with anger.

"What do you want," Z said through gritted teeth balling her fist in anger.

"Now now that attitude will have to change especially since I have your new BFF," Lothor said stepping aside to reveal a bound and bruised Lina.

"Lina!" Z yelled voicing the shock and concern of the other members of the team. "What do you want Nacho Libre!?"

"It's simple really I want you gone," Lothor said. "You turn over your morphers zords tech hell even SPD, and swear your loyalty to me or I kill her."

" Don't , don't do it guys just let me go," Lina said in a weak voice.

"SILENCE!," Lothor said firing a stun bolt at the girl, "You have two hours to decide," she said ending her transmission.

"This is all you fault!," Z yelled at Bridge after the team had explained and begun deleberate over their decession.

"My fault!," Bridge replied.

"Yeah Bridge your fault if you, Kat and Tate hadn't been so damned paranoid Lina would've be here instead of waiting to die!," Z said anger showing in her eyes, "a person has to die because you're too damn stubborn!," she yelled shoving Bridge into a nearby wall.

"Watch your tone lady," Bridge said picking himself up

"We don't have time for this!," Syd yelled.

JJ thought for a moment and said, "We don't have a choice, we have to give him what he wants. Kat, contact his ship and let Lothor know that we will meet him"

Kat nodded and sent the message, "How are we going to get to his ship" Syd asked.

"With these," Kat said, as she pressed a few buttons on one of the consoles. And, on the screen appeared the swat flyers, "These are the SPD Swat flyers they were used by the B Sqaud and are here for you to use. And, when the Zords combine you'll form the SPD Swat Megazord."

The four Rangers looked at the screen and smiled.

A short time later the Swat flyers speed off out of the secret dock to make their rendezvous with Lothor. Once they arrived the morphed Rangers meet a young, thin, woman, with blond hair "Welcome. I am Capri, personal assistant to Gasket. Please follow me." The Rangers followed Capei to a large room that resembled a large throne room. Before they entered, Capei announced their arrival, "My Lord… the Power Rangers ." Capri stepped aside and let them enter.

"Welcome Rangers, ironic you picked this place said Lothor said sitting on his throne, " Capri, bring in the prisoner."

"Yes, My Lord." Capri walked over to a door and opened it. Lina walked out with a Kelzack holding on each arm.

"You have What i want?" asked Lothor.

"Yes…" said Z, as she held out a box

"Good, bring them to me…"

Capei walked over to Z, she gulped as woman walked toward here. When they were practically nose to nose Capei held out her hands and Z placed the box in them. She then walked back over to Lothor and handed the box him. Lothor opened the box. An evil smile crept across Lothor's face.

"We gave you want " Syd said, "Now, release Lina."

Lothor closed the box, "Of course… I am a prince of my word..., release the prisoner." The Kelzacks did as they where commanded and let go of Lina.

When Lina reached the Rangers, "Are you ok, Lina?." Z asked.

"I'm fine… Let's go…"

Just as they were going to leave, the ninja lord said, "Power Rangers…" They stopped and turned around, then Lothor continued, "I'll give you one chance. Surrender now and I will spare your lives."

"Forget it," Bridge said , "Power Rangers don't surrender."

"I just thought I'd give you the chance. Until we meet again," then the Rangers left.

-SPD-

Tate looked at the rangers and back at Lina. " What you did was in direct disobence of orders," Tate said. "As for you Officer Song your completely reckless. But completely necessary."

"What?," Lina said puzzled.

"I'll admit that I haven't trusted you all, and that has to change," Sky said, "From now i will try to be less unforgiving," he said.

"Sir are you serious?," Lina asked getting a nod form Bridge.

" Its just that… We lost…" Syd said

"We feel like we let you all down," Lina said

"Lost?" Sky said, "How can you say you've lost when you haven't even started to fight."

" He has a point " JJ said

" Anyway get some rest rangers, Training tomorrow " Sky said. The rangers nodded before leaving.

Sky turned to Kat " I trust Lothor has found the switch we pulled by now "

Kat laughed " KaBoom" she said.


	8. Team bonding

A week had passed since the incident at the firing range and things were strangely calm inside SPD headquarters. Sensing that he had overstepped the mark, Sky and Bridge had eased up on Lina which had the side effect of creating an uneasy tension between the pair. The other rangers were still cool towards their newest member, opting to ignore any direct confrontation. From Lina's side she was still snarky towards the team but now there almost no malice behind her words. During a discussion over lunch the previous day, Z and Syd had decided that sarcasm was just her default method of communication. The pair also felt like the attempt to build a bridge between them and Lina had some effect on her attitude.

That morning Z was returning from eating breakfast alone. Her uniform jacket was trailing behind her when she entered her quarters and automatically she threw it towards her bed. Seconds later a cry of indignation reached her ears, "Hey watch where you're throwing your stuff", Syd snorted. Z rolled her eyes, it wouldn't be the first time her roommate had complained about her messy habits, "Although it won't be my problem after today", the pink ranger added.

Z finally began to pay attention to Syd and noticed that her stuff had been piled into crates. Her half of the room was completely empty, "Something you need to tell me Syd?" the yellow ranger asked cautiously.

"New room assignments", the blonde began, "now we have a permanent member on the squad, Tate decided that we need to accommodate them in our quarters". Now Z was beginning to feel worried. It was SPD policy that men and women would be segregated, otherwise Sky and Syd would've moved in together a few months ago. With only four members on the team, quarter assignments weren't an issue. The only vacant spot were Jack's old quarters and since Syd was moving, that could only mean one person was joining Z in her room.

The yellow ranger's assumption was proved correct moments later when Lina entered the room. She had a large khaki bag slung over one shoulder and her uniform jacket over the other one, "Sup Barbie, Lizzy", the dark haired woman greeted them in turn, "looks like we get to be roomies Lizzy", she continued, "no wild parties unless I'm invited and if you want some alone time, leave a sock on the door or something".

Syd blanched at the crassness of their team mate, instead she turned to Z and said, "If you have any problems, I'm just down the hall".

"I think Lizzy and I will get on just fine", Lina beamed and threw an arm across Z's shoulder. The pink ranger snorted and turned on her heel, leaving the new roommates to get better acquainted.

It took Z a few seconds to realise that Lina still had her arm over her shoulder. The yellow ranger shrugged it off firmly, "Keep your hands to yourself", she sniffed, "and stop calling me Lizzy".

"Might do", Lina grinned, "but I think Lizzy suits you". Ignoring the eye roll from Z, Lina gave her a quick twirl to show off her new B Squad uniform, "Looks good on me doesn't it, the one I've been wearing was a hand me down but this one fits like a glove", the dark haired woman stated, "but not as good as your uniform fits you Lizzy", she added with a wink. Z gaped at her roommate, trying to work out if she was attempting to flirt with her. Moments later Lina gave her a half smile and chuckled, "Chill out would ya, I'm just messing with you".

"Are you always this annoying?" Z grumbled, "I would rather listen to Bridge babble on than listen to your attempted jokes".

"Ouch, you wound me Lizzy", Lina chuckled and began to unpack her bag. Z couldn't help but notice that Lina didn't have a huge number of possessions. There were a few casual clothes, mostly a bunch of pink tops that Charlie probably wouldn't wear again now she was the blue ranger. Next out were a pair of well worn biker boots that despite their battered state, Z actually wouldn't mind borrowing. Just as Lina was getting to a clear plastic bag containing her underwear she commented mischievously, "See something you like?"

Still trying to work out if this was just Lina's nature or actual flirting, Z ignored her and pretended to sort through the piles of clothes on her side of the room. She looked over periodically and was slightly surprised with the lack of stuff. Z had barely been with SPD for a year and she had accumulated mountains of clothes and various other knickknacks. Her new roommate though clearly packed light, "Is that all you have?"

"Apparently security cleared out a lot of my possessions when I was incarcerated", Lina made no attempt to hide the bitterness in her voice, "might get them back one day if Sky gets Kruger's paw out of his ass". She rummaged around in the bottom of her bag and retrieved a battered shoebox, "At least they didn't throw these away, I really would've been pissed off".

Intrigued Z craned her head to get a better look at the box. To her surprise it was full of comic books and power ranger memorabilia , "Didn't take you for that kind of person", she commented as the blue ranger sorted through her collection. There were at least fifty comics in varying states of wear but there was one that caught Z's eye. At the back of the stack was one inside a plastic sleeve, "Must be valuable that one". Lina looked smug before turning the front of the comic towards Z, "No way", the yellow ranger cried, "is that Boom Studios Mighty Morphin Power Rangers number one?"

"Sure is", there was a brief pause before Lina handed it over to Z, "I'll let you hold it but no taking it out of the plastic though".

Z grasped it in her hands reverently and ran her fingers across the cover, "It's in amazing condition for a nearly four year old". She turned the comic over to inspect the back page, This must've cost a small fortune".

Lina hesitated for a moment and the yellow ranger picked up on her awkwardness, "My Dad brought it back in 2015, cost him nearly four hundred dollars". Z gaped and nearly dropped the comic book. Suddenly she felt very nervous holding something of that value, "He got it for my birthday, probably paid too much but it was about the time that Power Rangers was raking in money". She carefully took it back from Z, "I reckon it would easily sell for half a million if I put it on the market".

For someone who had grown up on the streets, Z couldn't comprehend the amount of money that Lina was taking about. She also couldn't believe the casual way that the blue ranger commented on her father spending four hundred dollars on a comic, "Wow, what's someone with that much money doing in SPD". Lina winced and visibly froze for a moment before attempting to collect her comics together casually. Z noticed that was the second time her roommate recoiled at her alleged wealth, "I'm sorry I didn't mean to touch on a sore spot".

"Not your fault Lizzy", Lina replied in a small voice. For the first time Z felt the hardened outer shell of the blue ranger crack. She wanted to ask more questions but she didn't dare push harder, that would force the wall back into place.

Lina carefully placed her collection into the small cabinet beside her bed before turning to face the yellow ranger, "You ever heard of the Hartford family?" Z shook her head, "they're old money and my family have more money than they know what to do with". She shifted slightly on her bed, "Honestly I swear one of my uncles has an underground vault that would rival Scrooge McDuck".

"Let me guess, they weren't happy you decided to join TimeForce", Z had a feeling this was where Lina was going.

"Good instincts", Lina gave her a small smile in return, "Little Lina Hartford was meant to go off to some expensive College before getting married and push out the next family heir". She snorted angrily, "What they got instead was Lina Song who wanted to kick some ass and change the world". Z couldn't help but laugh at that comment, "No way are they getting a kid either".

The atmosphere turned a little awkward again as Lina lapsed into silence. The blue ranger scratched the back of her head nervously, "But that's enough of my family history", she grabbed her jacket and pulled out a scrap of paper, "Tate's changed rotas as well", she handed the paper over to Z, "Barbie and Dragon Soul are now partnered together which means that we're not just roomies, we're beat partners too".

A few minutes ago that would've filled Z with dread but after having a brief conversation with Lina, she found herself actually warming towards the woman. It was too early to say if they'd be friends but at least they could be civil with each other, "Can you answer one question?" Z began, "how did you get out of containment?"

Once again Lina shifted uncomfortably on her bed, "That's between Commander Andros and me I'm afraid". Z frowned, unhappy with the response from the blue ranger, "One day I'll be able to tell you but my orders are to keep my lips firmly sealed". She stood up and grabbed her jacket, "Andros has always been a sucker for a redemption story. If he can forgive his sister for wasting their home planet and he forgave Charlie from A Squad then forgiving me for going off the rails should be easy".

"Wait his sister destroyed their home?" Z gasped in surprise, "that didn't come up in our Ranger history classes".

"Nah it wouldn't", Lina chuckled, "those things are all airbrushed anyway to make them sound even more heroic than they actually are". The blue ranger quickly patted herself down and checked that she had her Delta Morpher. The morphing function still hadn't been enabled but Lina had been sailing through her catch up sessions. It would only be a matter of time before she was fully part of the team, "I was in the first group of recruits when TimeForce opened its Academy five years ago so I got the full unedited version of the story". Quickly looking at the clock, she indicated to the door, "Our first shift starts in ten minutes, I'll tell you a few stories on the way".

Z nodded and grabbed her uniform jacket and followed after Lina. It had been easy to paint Lina as an evil person after the traitorous nature of TimeForce pink had been uncovered. She was one of the few people who weren't in a command position that remembered the early days of SPD and had probably been mentored by some of the original Rangers themselves. It made her fall from grace all the more surprising to Z. Here was a woman who clearly wanted to make a difference, going against her family in the process, only to be swayed by the offer of power. Maybe one day that would be a story for Lina to tell her.


End file.
